Sunny Swimming and Self-worthby Saberking2012ChaptersSelf DoubtPrepare YourselfA Chance EncounterSelf Doubt"Come on Fluttershy, we’ve been over this like a hundred times! Now come out now, or I’ll pull you out." Zephyr called through the door, knocking on it again. The knocking stopped for a moment. I perked my ears up a bit to listen but all that was heard was an aggravated groan come from him and a shuffling which could only be thought as him placing his hands on his hips. Something he does way too often for my liking. "Oh c’mon, Fluttershy. You told me that you wanted to go, and we have been waiting for about half an hour! How hard can it be to change into a swimsuit?" "I-I'm sorry. I'll b-be out in a minute," She muttered softly to us, almost inaudible, from inside. "If I had known you were gonna take this long to change, I would’ve went in first. I mean, I know your door’s busted and all but I’m tired of waiting…” he said as he plucked at his swim trunks. He counted to ten and the door was still closed. He grumbled lightly and sighed before banging the door a bit harder this time. "Come on, Fluttershy! What'cha doing in there? I would enjoy getting to the beach before night comes, if that's ok with you." "What's the problem, Zippy?" He turned to me standing on the stairs a few steps below him. I was wearing a gray shirt over my light blue bathing suit, holding the bag that was carrying all our supplies for our trip to the beach. He turned towards me, pointing his thumb right over his shoulder over towards the door. "My big sister has apparently chosen to take her time with changing and personally, I would like to leave now. I mean, this is really the only time of the year I get to see the hot girls, and I would like to hang out with some of them when they aren’t on their phones for once!" I rolled my eyes, my attention set onto the door he was standing in front of. I heard Zephyr groan yet again as he looked at down at his watch. “Why don’t I talk to her?” I asked. Immediately, he threw his hands into the air as he proceeded to go downstairs, taking the bag that I held for him. "By all means, go ahead. I'm gonna prep myself and have a snack." He continued walking down the steps, not looking back as he went into the living room. I watched him for a minute as he passed by me before walking up to where all the commotion was. I knocked on the door a few times, trying to speak at a volume that is a tad louder than how I would usually speak to make sure that it was loud and clear. "Fluttershy? You okay? Zeph’s downstairs now. Is something the matter?" I stood there, waiting for her to give me some sort of response. When she kept quiet and I couldn’t wait for her to speak any longer, I grabbed the knob and opened it, walking straight into the room. I closed the door behind me and turned around to see Fluttershy facing a full body mirror. Surprisingly, she was already dressed, wearing the yellow swimsuit that I had picked out for her and a jacket that seemed to cover it all up. She was glaring at herself, eyes pointed right at the mirror, shifting up and down at her body, having not seemed to notice me being right behind her. I tentatively stepped towards her, curious as to what she was doing. "Fluttershy?" My question made her jump like a cat, spinning around to look at me, with her hands spreading out all over her chest. "AH- Rainbow Dash, you scared me." she said with a small laugh coming through her tight smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya." Her mouth relaxed. The tight smile turning more genuine and mellowed out as I talked. “I knocked on the door, but you didn’t respond, so I just went in. Sorry about that." "Oh no, i-it's alright." she said as she proceeded to wrap her arms around herself with her jacket, her eyes shifting around between eye contact and facing the floor. "I'm fine; I'll be out in a minute. Could you please tell Zephyr that I'm sorry for making him wait? I could do it if you don't want to. I wouldn't mind." "I will…" I said happily before looking closer at her and seeing that she was shuddering slightly and that tell tale sign of personal seclusion behind her hair that let me know that she was nervous about something. "Are you sure you're alright?" "I am. Just trying to brighten myself up…” I raised an eyebrow directly towards her and made that small smile of hers break into a frown, which raised several alarms in my mind. "P-Please, Rainbow Dash. You worry too much. I’m alright. Really." The way that she said it; that ‘You worry too much, I’m alright,’ made me wonder who she was even trying to convince in this scenario- me, or herself? I took a deep breath and looked at her dead in the eye. "You can’t trick me, Fluttershy. We’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s wrong, even if it takes all day. Though knowing Zephyr, he’ll probably storm up here soon, and I know you probably don’t want that." She looked up at me, surprised at my sudden determination. She gave me a cold chuckle and crossed her arm really tight in front of her chest. "You really know how to joke, Rainbow," she replied with a slight laugh. We stared at each other for a moment. I was waiting for the explanation and she just kept stalling, hoping I wouldn’t press on. After some time had passed, she finally sighed and looked back towards the mirror. She just stared at her reflection, not once darting an eye back at me. "Have you ever… looked at yourself in the mirror, and hated what was staring back at you?” she asked in a quiet manner, with this miserable look on her face. I stared blankly at her for a moment and then turned to the reflection of Fluttershy which looked perfectly normal. "What do you mean?" "Look at me!" she cried, removing her arms from her chest and unzipping her jacket, revealing her body to me. "Look at me and see what I hate so much! I don't know what's wrong with me. I don’t eat much. I exercise, but no matter what I do with myself, everyone keeps looking at me like I’m some kind of freak!" My eyes widened at the sudden outburst, forcing me to take a step back. She seemed to notice and backed up a little, lowering her voice in the process. "It’s not just that I’m a coward. I could live with myself knowing that fact alone for the rest of my life. I’m just… hideous…” She shuddered and gasped for a breath, the tears that have been welling up within her had left trails of dampened streaks rolling down her cheeks. She placed her hands near her chest and continued. "I’ve always been timid and fragile... It was something I learned to live with. I’m not like you or the others who have strong personalities and the charisma to back it up... And for the most part, I could handle that. That was... until recently. Everywhere I go, everybody stares at me, looking at me and gossiping behind my back like I can’t hear them. One of the girls- Upper Crust, I believe her name was- literally came up to me one day and said that I was a nobody, and that the only friends I had were little stupid animals. She told me I was ugly and a waste of space! That I was better off dead! And I somehow got roped into going outside around a lot of people to parade my hideous and disgusting body." Her voice shaking as she sniffed loudly and wiped the forming tears from her face with the back of her hand. I just watched, looking at her for a moment before going behind her and hugging her, trying to pull her towards me. She was shaking, filled with sadness and anger but I knew she needed someone to talk to. "Fluttershy, you shouldn't think like that. It’s all just pathetic lies from her." She shivered, laying herself towards me and pressing her entire face into my neck. "I know that. I try to keep telling myself that, but it’s so hard. I can't help it. I don't have as thick of skin as you do about that." "Yes, you can." I positioned her to where I could see her as I held her in my arms to comfort her. "Or rather, you don’t let yourself think of how great you are.” She looked away, like I just insulted her or something. I grabbed her chin, continuing, “Fluttershy, look at me. There isn't a single thing wrong with you. If you keep letting these people's negative opinions of you get in the way of seeing how beautiful you truly are, you will be hateful of yourself for the rest of your life." She looked up at me, unsure of what to believe right now. "B-but their opinions have value too. They are saying what they see. If the most of them are saying I look ugly, then I probably am." she said, every word softer than the last until she trailed off. "So a stranger's opinion holds more value than mine?" I asked in return, a mock expression of hurt on my face. Her eyes widen in shock as I asked that. "N-No. I-I didn’t mean it like that," she said quickly, sighing as she did. She’s just too adorable when she’s flustered. It’s almost like she’s come back to her usual, shy self. I wiped the tears off her cheek and smiled. "Good." I replied, gliding my hands down the length of her sides in an attempt to comfort her further. "Because no one is more beautiful than my best friend." Next thing that she did was scoff at me and shift away from me, hiding her blush once again. "You're just saying that." I shook my head at her self-degrading statement that she claimed. "I mean it. You’re smart, beautiful, selfless, caring, strong, and most of all, you are the bravest person that I’ve ever met." I said, moving one of my hands through her hair. She remained silent so I continued, "And, well, I love you. I love you more than any stiff on the street will. That’s because I can see the real you," I said before I heard a scoff and cynical giggle come from her lips. "Liar. You’re just flattering me," she mumbled, giving me a suspicious look. "I do. If I had to choose between you and my dream guy, you would be my choice hands down." "Yeah, they can be hard to find." I had to chuckle at that and I could feel her shaking from the laughter that she was trying to hold back. "You can deny it all you want, but that won’t change the fact that they’re wrong about you." "Yeah… I think I can see that a bit better now," She said, hanging onto my waist in an attempt to keep me down with her for a bit longer. "Now, are you coming?" I asked, giving her a nudge, rewarded with a sigh as a reply. "You won’t let me stay here even if I said no so… I guess we’re going then." she said, letting my arms fall from her. I pulled myself away, holding one of her hands and taking her towards the door. "Um, Rainbow Dash?" "What’s up?" "Is it okay… if I… keep the jacket… with me?" she asked, tugging at her jacket. I replied with a small smile and gave her a nod. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, knock yourself out." She replied with a smile and we kept walking to the door, feeling those small fingers of hers tighten around me. But before we went down the stairs, I added, “But just know, no matter what happens; if anyone is picking on you for who you are, just come to me. I’ll teach them a thing or two about manners. Okay?” She nodded. With that, we walked down the stairs together and Zephie jumped up from where he was sitting, snatching up the bag as he did. “Well, it’s about time! Let’s go, you two!" he yelled while running towards the front door, the bright strings of his swim trunks fluttering behind him as he ran. She gave out a quiet chuckle as we left the house, holding out her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. I looked past my shoulder and held onto her hand before walking out the door of the building. I gave out a slight grunt while holding my hand out to keep the sun from killing my eyes. “Geez… Wanna wait until later when it's not so hot?” I asked her. She shook her head at my suggestion. "No, I don't really want him running around by himself. It could be dangerous… and I do need to build up my confidence anyways." I simply laughed at her comment, and we started walking towards the beach, ready to have some fun. Prepare YourselfWe started walking on the sand towards the ocean, her hand kept a tight grip on mine. It was beautiful. It was like the scene out of a movie I’d seen once. Finally, we arrived on the shore, and obviously, the place was pretty crowded. The entire ruckus nearly flabbergasted her as we move off the final hill to relax on the beach. The sight of the sea of people that were there was disheartening to the point where I couldn't see any sand as it was being covered by the everyone. A whimper was heard behind me and a light squeeze on my hand let me know the origin of it. "You alright?" I asked her. She gave me a small nod in return. I looked towards the multiple crowds of people and looked right back at her. “Why don’t we find a place that’s less packed?” "S-Sure," she stuttered, allowing me to search for a less condensed and popular part of the beach for us. We kept moving and to help her with her current dilemma, I decided to talk to her to ease her state of mind. "Hey, tell me about the animal shelter. How are things with the animals?" I could practically hear the enthusiasm in her voice as she began to speak about one of her more favored topics of discussion, "The animal shelter? O-Oh, okay! Well… we often give out reports and background checks on the animals. We give them vaccinations on a timely schedule. We feed them. We even give them…" I knew how she got and was able to somewhat tune her out while we walked, still asking questions here and there to show her that I was paying attention and that I cared. The tension she held earlier had vanished as she continued to talk; if there was anything that she enjoyed the most, it was sharing her vast, infinite knowledge on animals with someone who would be willing to talk to her about. Eventually, we found ourselves at the bottom of one of the many cliffsides that were surrounding the town and since there weren’t many people around, we decided that this was a good spot. She took a seat on the sand, leaning herself on my arms while stretching her legs out. I sat down next to her, crossing my legs. It was nice and peaceful for a moment before I remembered something. "Great. Zephie has all of our stuff. I gave it to him when I came to talk to you," I said as I stared out at the ocean. "He does?" "Want me to go get it?" I continued, glancing at her. She looked at me, her eyes wide. "Oh, no. You don’t need to go back to that terrible crowd to search for him. We'll be fine without it, I'm sure." As she sighed, she closed her eyes, enjoying the bliss of the sun touching her skin. I took off my shirt and place it next to me and laid back in the hot sand. We sat in silence for a moment, waiting for something to happen. It was peaceful and calm… that was, until I heard her moan cut the silence in half, watching her dig her fingertips into the sun heated sand. "Geez, it’s hot out… and the sun… it…” "Hmm?" "It hurts," she replied with a silent chuckle. I chuckled and looked at her, my eyes looking over her exposed skin. I couldn't see what her inner conflict was about; she looked perfectly fine to me. She’s not really big on the front, but it wasn’t terrible. She was gorgeous, and besides, there was nothing wrong with being average. What’s wrong with being normal anyways? Being normal was great since you are still pretty and hey, it just makes it easier for that one lucky guy to carry you and hold you tightly. It makes it even easier for that lucky guy to press you up against a wall and start some more… heated activities. I accidentally bit my tongue as my mind went wild, along with a small smile building on my lips. Like a spider with hyper senses, she opened up her eyes and looked right at me, giving a slight jump. "R-Rainbow Dash, no!" she shouted, pulling at the sides, desperate to cover herself up. I looked directly at her with my eyebrows raised. "What?" "You gave me that look. Yo- you were- you- you were looking at me and- a-and- and-. Please don’t stare at me," she exclaimed, turning her head away from me, completely blushing. I smiled coyly at her blushing expression and hummed lightly before sliding my arm over and wrapping it around her waist "But I like staring." I whispered teasingly, moving my lips towards her quivering jaw. She quickly shied away and resisted my advances by pushing against my stomach and squirming away. "N-No, Rainbow Dash, there are people out here!" she cried out, trying in vain to block off my advances. I just smiled and moved ever so listlessly, eventually catching her off guard with my lips and pulling her closer to me. She lightly shoved against me, weakly trying to fight me off before throwing in the towel, moving her hands up from my stomach to my shoulders and neck. I felt her tongue swirl around and around in my mouth, in the motion of a merry-go-round at an amusement park that will never cease. It nearly took my breath away as she started kissing every little inch of my body without stopping. After several seconds, we pulled apart, panting as I watched her catch her breath. She pressed herself forward a little; forcing her own forehead against mine and gave me a smile as I unzipped her jacket. "Gotta say, talking is fun and all, but," I whispered gently, moving myself even closer to her. "I like using my mouth for this a lot better." She said nothing as I pushed my lips against hers, being a little more rougher with her than last time. She started to moan even louder, curling her fingers up and scratching them across my skin with her fingernails. Suddenly, she was on her back, holding herself up with her forearms. She all of a sudden arched her back as her eyes almost bulged out of her head. "Ouch! Ouch! Hot sand, hot sand!" She tried to say through our pushed lips. I felt her smile in our embrace, and we rolled over with her laying on top of me. She sat up, frowning down at me as I stared back up at her. "You know that we’re on a public beach right? What if someone sees us?" I just shrug, slyly moving my hands from her waist down to her thighs, slowly running my hands all over her skin and swimsuit. "I don’t see a sign that says we can’t have a little fun." She replied with a scoff and lowered herself on me again as she smiled. "You are insatiable," she responded ever so softly before slowly pressing her lips towards mine, moaning sensually while my hands travelled around to her butt. I could hardly hold back the urge to grope her as my fingers began to move up to her breast, massage her all over with handfuls of her beautiful skin. She started to whimper louder as I arched my back when she pressed all of herself against me. As my hands were about to untie the top of her bathing suit, I could hear every moan escape from her body, clinging onto me more and more. I continued to kiss about every square inch of her, getting closer and closer every second as I was about to- "Ewwwww…" She pulled her lips away from mine, looking up to see Zephy standing several feet in front of us, making a very rosy face. She quickly tied her top and put on my shirt, hiding behind me as I adjusted myself. "If the two of you were gonna have some ‘fun’ with each other…” he said with an over-exaggerated hand motion, "You could've at least left a sign up." I rolled my eyes at him and got up in a huff, completely slouching and leaning my head in his direction. "Is something wrong, Zip?" she asked, covering her face with the blush that was growing on her face. He gave me the same look that I gave him when he arrived. Guess he didn’t know after all. "Oh, it’s nothing,” he replied with an annoyed shrug, lowering the bag down from one hand to another as he moved to our spot. "I was hanging out with a few of my friends when I noticed that you two suddenly disappeared, so I went looking for you... and here I am. If I interrupted you two and you need some alone time together-" "Zip," she squeaked, her voice getting higher and her face growing redder as she cut him off. "I-I was just telling Dash that-that she shouldn't be doing that in a public area in the first place. It wasn't a good idea.” I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at that. He rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, because that's defiantly what it looked like from over there…” I rolled my eyes back at him as he set the towel down. He looked right at me and added, “Anyway, it’s a good thing that I came down here. You were really cooking,” he said, scrounging around the giant bag through all the other accessories before finding the small bottle of sunscreen for her. He tossed it towards us and I caught it straight out of the air, making Fluttershy sit up as she started to scoot down a little, pressing her little fingers on her cheek before hissing softly. Quietly, I popped up the cap on the bottle and squirted a small bit of the pale, white goo into my hand, slowly and gently rubbing and smearing it on her face and ears before moving down. "So tell me, why did you choose to be right here? I mean, if you two were planning on having ‘quality time’ with each other, I can see why you would choose this type of place… but still." I could feel her tense up as he sighed, continuing to speak while I continued to apply the sunscreen to her back and neck. "We just wanted some quiet time with one another, that’s all." Afterwards, she started to relaxing a bit and slowly gave him a knowing smile. "Sure… the noise was the problem..." he responded as he plopped right down next to us. "Well, you’re gonna be disturbed by me all day. So what do you girls wanna do now?" We looked at him and then to each other, smiling. We couldn’t care less that he interrupted us. We were just happy to be with each other. It was all that mattered to us. We got into the water and played with each other for a bit. Eventually, I went underwater and had some fun. "Ah! Rainbow Dash, no!" She yelled in shock as I appeared out of the water below her, positioning her onto my shoulders so she could stay on there fairly easily. I gave a small laugh while she was above me, yelling and flailing her arms, doing her best not to fall off. Zephyr laughed loudly, as he spun a beach ball on his finger, waiting to launch it towards us. "Hey, Fluttershy!" he called out, gaining her attention as he carried the ball on his head. "Catch!" He threw the ball right into the air, sending it flying into our path. "Oh, I got it! I got it!" she shouted, firing her arms straight up and leaning back with the ball as it flew over her head. He burst out laughing again as she fell backwards, dragging me into the salty water with her. She had to prop herself up and wipe the salty water from her eyes as she rose, holding the ball triumphantly above her head. I rose back up, removing my goggles and slightly shaking the water off of them before putting them back on. As usual, she apologized for the actions of her brother and shot him that familiar fiery scolding look that at this point had no effect on him since he was still giggling and snickering like an idiot. "It's fine," I said, looking over to her. She smiled back at me, holding onto the multicolored, rubber beach ball in while doing so. Her shirt completely soaked, clinging ever so slightly to her frail, but beautiful body. I saw her float along with the tide, joined by her wet, pink hair clinging on to her forehead. She was breathing excessively from everything that happened today, but she still held onto that smile of hers. I was happy. She was actually smiling. Those bad feelings and tears from earlier today were washed away with the tide of the ocean and she was able to break out of her shell for a few hours and be happy. Zippy gave out an exaggerated sigh as he removed his goggles, putting them back into the bag while we gazed at the sunset. He frowned, turning back to us. "Hey," he called out, getting Fluttershy's attention. "It's getting late now, you girls want to stay out, or should we head back home?" We looked at each other, he asked me a question but I simply shrugged back as an answer. She nodded and turned to him, shrugging. "Yeah, I guess it’s getting late,” she mumbled. He nodded and we made our way back to the warm sand of the beach, our bodies shivering and teeth clattering from being in the water for so long and being used to its temperature. I looked to her, and she held out her hand to me. She gave me that beautiful smile, blushing slightly as she tucked away the beach ball under an arm. I grabbed her hand as we walked away. Once we reached our bag, Fluttershy deflated the ball and I began to dry off. Once we were dried and the ball was deflated, I held the bag open and she placed it in delicately. As the sun dipped further into the horizon and baked our backs less and less, we made our way back to their house, our hands intertwined. The peaceful silence was broken by Fluttershy as she cleared her throat glancing up me. "I, um, thank you." I looked down at her and I saw her face was completely flushed from the entire day. She looked like she had something to say. "I-I appreciate you getting me out of the house. I wouldn’t have left if you hadn’t talked me out of it… and I really had a good time with you and Zeph today, so… thank you for helping me." I replied to her with a nod. A few seconds had passed before any words were exchanged. I spoke up and said, "I meant what I said." "Hmm? Oh, yes. I believe you. It’s just… that…” I put my finger on her lips, preventing her from speaking any further. "Don’t sweat it.” I said as I pressed a kiss on the top of her forehead. “Besides, you know I love you and I would do anything to keep you happy.” She returned that same, sweet smile as she leaned herself onto my shoulder. "I know you would. That's why I love you too." We walked back to her house with Zeph, completely tired from today. It was a special day today. Getting to spend time with her. I really wish that could last forever… A Chance EncounterSeveral weeks had passed since our trip, and she definitely seems to be feeling much better. It put me at ease to see her like she is now. She was really scared, that poor thing. I’m gonna do what I can to make her feel better. It’s the least I can for her after embarrassing her those times before. I heard my phone go off, and saw that it was a text. It was Fluttershy, and she asked if I wanted to hang out with her at the Coffee shop. With nothing better to do and being completely bored out of my mind, I decided to head over to said shop to help calm her nerves. We went inside the cafe. The place had a small crowd inside, being a busy time and all. The line was long, but it went pretty fast. I told Fluttershy to go find us a seat while I waited in line for our refreshments. Fluttershy sat silently at the end of the bar up against the wall, reading as she sipped her drink, doing what she could to ignore the noisy crowd while I kept going further down the line for our beverages. "That will be two dollars and fifty-five cents ma’am." "Right, of course," A girl said as she raised her purse. She turned around and it was then when I recognized who she was. It was the same girl who picked on Fluttershy a few weeks back. She was grabbing the amount the cashier requested and it was at that moment an idea came in. I thought about the things that she did to Fluttershy, so I decided that it was time to even up the score. I waited for her to mingle around in her purse while she wasn’t looking. I smiled and stepped in front of her, cutting in line. “I’ll get it for you,” I said as I got in front of her. She seemed surprised by my sudden course of action. Totally out of left field as far as she could tell. I handed the cashier the two dollars and change as I grabbed the cup of tea. “Thanks. To be honest, I was like, really reluctant to get it but like, you totally save me the trouble of having to spend any money whatsoever.” That smug look she displayed on her face just made me wanna puke. She seemed like she was on top of the world with her attitude. I placed my hand out and said, “The names Rainbow Dash. Five-time MVP, Captain of the sports team, and reigning champion of the athletic decathlon. To make a long story short, I’m pretty popular at school.” She seemed really stunned at first. It was like she just a heart attack after hearing my achievements. Then she regained her composure and replied, “Oh. Well my name is Upper Crust. I haven’t been here in like, forever now. I just got out of my house after having an argument about my credit card and getting it confiscated from me. You see, I…” She kept droning on and on about how ‘hard’ her life is and what her friends are doing without her. I look at the hot tea that I was holding and then looked back up at her with a smirk. I decided to put the hot tea down on the table, but I didn’t move my hand from it. "Here you go." I said, closely watching her hand to reach the cup. At the flick of a wrist, I spilled the heated liquid onto her once spotted dress. She screamed, jerking away from the table and looking down to her soaked dress. A furious look appeared on her face and she opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off before she could say anything to me, smacking both my hands onto the wooden table and leaning closer towards her, almost touching noses at that point. "Listen, because I’m only gonna tell this to you once,” I said in a nearly low voice. “If you ever come near my girlfriend again and treat her like dog shit… I will make it my life's mission to make your’s a living hell for the rest of your life. Got it?" Suddenly, she gasped, unable to say a word or express herself in any way as an angry blush began to cover her cheeks. I simply continued to stare at her. "Now get out… or maybe you’d like some more? My treat~." I asked in a low voice, watching as a now very shocked looking girl quickly grabbed her friend and guided a still shocked girl and walked out of the coffee shop. I watched her and her friend leave the shop, loosening up once the pair had left my sight. I sighed, releasing some tension as I grabbed the cup and plate and placed them onto our table. Drips could still be heard which reminded me that I needed to clean up the mess. I grabbed a few napkins and cleaned the table up. After I cleaned up, I glanced over to where Fluttershy was sitting. When I walked over to her and sat down, she stared at me with a look she doesn't give too often. "My only regret..." I stated evenly. "is that I have only one cup of tea to pour." “Rainbow Dash…” She began but dropped her frown when she saw my smile. She sighed and shook her head, unsure how to respond. “Thanks… but,” She flicked my head, scolding me about how I caused a scene in front of everyone. “You didn’t have to go through all this trouble. What if you got in trouble?” I gave her a sigh as I sipped my espresso. It really was happening all over again. I had that coming but regardless, I was in no position to complain. “I know, I know, and I’m sorry, but you know I couldn’t let her get away with what she did. After all,” I pulled her in with a peek on her head and added, “You're my special butterfly. And nobody can convince me that you're anything but.” She giggled behind her hand and couldn't stop her cute little smile from spreading across her face when I said that. She shook her head again but out of both embarrassment and joy rather than disappointment. I could tell she knew that in a way, I wasn’t completely wrong. Something had to be done about her dilemma. She just wished that I was more subtle about it. “I know but…” She paused, not knowing what to say next. I gave her a smile, accompanied by a quiet chuckle, feeling that she was entirely grateful for what I did. She silently thanked me and as I held her close. we walked out the store, happier than we’ve ever been.
Self Doubt"Come on Fluttershy, we’ve been over this like a hundred times! Now come out now, or I’ll pull you out." Zephyr called through the door, knocking on it again. The knocking stopped for a moment. I perked my ears up a bit to listen but all that was heard was an aggravated groan come from him and a shuffling which could only be thought as him placing his hands on his hips. Something he does way too often for my liking. "Oh c’mon, Fluttershy. You told me that you wanted to go, and we have been waiting for about half an hour! How hard can it be to change into a swimsuit?" "I-I'm sorry. I'll b-be out in a minute," She muttered softly to us, almost inaudible, from inside. "If I had known you were gonna take this long to change, I would’ve went in first. I mean, I know your door’s busted and all but I’m tired of waiting…” he said as he plucked at his swim trunks. He counted to ten and the door was still closed. He grumbled lightly and sighed before banging the door a bit harder this time. "Come on, Fluttershy! What'cha doing in there? I would enjoy getting to the beach before night comes, if that's ok with you." "What's the problem, Zippy?" He turned to me standing on the stairs a few steps below him. I was wearing a gray shirt over my light blue bathing suit, holding the bag that was carrying all our supplies for our trip to the beach. He turned towards me, pointing his thumb right over his shoulder over towards the door. "My big sister has apparently chosen to take her time with changing and personally, I would like to leave now. I mean, this is really the only time of the year I get to see the hot girls, and I would like to hang out with some of them when they aren’t on their phones for once!" I rolled my eyes, my attention set onto the door he was standing in front of. I heard Zephyr groan yet again as he looked at down at his watch. “Why don’t I talk to her?” I asked. Immediately, he threw his hands into the air as he proceeded to go downstairs, taking the bag that I held for him. "By all means, go ahead. I'm gonna prep myself and have a snack." He continued walking down the steps, not looking back as he went into the living room. I watched him for a minute as he passed by me before walking up to where all the commotion was. I knocked on the door a few times, trying to speak at a volume that is a tad louder than how I would usually speak to make sure that it was loud and clear. "Fluttershy? You okay? Zeph’s downstairs now. Is something the matter?" I stood there, waiting for her to give me some sort of response. When she kept quiet and I couldn’t wait for her to speak any longer, I grabbed the knob and opened it, walking straight into the room. I closed the door behind me and turned around to see Fluttershy facing a full body mirror. Surprisingly, she was already dressed, wearing the yellow swimsuit that I had picked out for her and a jacket that seemed to cover it all up. She was glaring at herself, eyes pointed right at the mirror, shifting up and down at her body, having not seemed to notice me being right behind her. I tentatively stepped towards her, curious as to what she was doing. "Fluttershy?" My question made her jump like a cat, spinning around to look at me, with her hands spreading out all over her chest. "AH- Rainbow Dash, you scared me." she said with a small laugh coming through her tight smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya." Her mouth relaxed. The tight smile turning more genuine and mellowed out as I talked. “I knocked on the door, but you didn’t respond, so I just went in. Sorry about that." "Oh no, i-it's alright." she said as she proceeded to wrap her arms around herself with her jacket, her eyes shifting around between eye contact and facing the floor. "I'm fine; I'll be out in a minute. Could you please tell Zephyr that I'm sorry for making him wait? I could do it if you don't want to. I wouldn't mind." "I will…" I said happily before looking closer at her and seeing that she was shuddering slightly and that tell tale sign of personal seclusion behind her hair that let me know that she was nervous about something. "Are you sure you're alright?" "I am. Just trying to brighten myself up…” I raised an eyebrow directly towards her and made that small smile of hers break into a frown, which raised several alarms in my mind. "P-Please, Rainbow Dash. You worry too much. I’m alright. Really." The way that she said it; that ‘You worry too much, I’m alright,’ made me wonder who she was even trying to convince in this scenario- me, or herself? I took a deep breath and looked at her dead in the eye. "You can’t trick me, Fluttershy. We’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s wrong, even if it takes all day. Though knowing Zephyr, he’ll probably storm up here soon, and I know you probably don’t want that." She looked up at me, surprised at my sudden determination. She gave me a cold chuckle and crossed her arm really tight in front of her chest. "You really know how to joke, Rainbow," she replied with a slight laugh. We stared at each other for a moment. I was waiting for the explanation and she just kept stalling, hoping I wouldn’t press on. After some time had passed, she finally sighed and looked back towards the mirror. She just stared at her reflection, not once darting an eye back at me. "Have you ever… looked at yourself in the mirror, and hated what was staring back at you?” she asked in a quiet manner, with this miserable look on her face. I stared blankly at her for a moment and then turned to the reflection of Fluttershy which looked perfectly normal. "What do you mean?" "Look at me!" she cried, removing her arms from her chest and unzipping her jacket, revealing her body to me. "Look at me and see what I hate so much! I don't know what's wrong with me. I don’t eat much. I exercise, but no matter what I do with myself, everyone keeps looking at me like I’m some kind of freak!" My eyes widened at the sudden outburst, forcing me to take a step back. She seemed to notice and backed up a little, lowering her voice in the process. "It’s not just that I’m a coward. I could live with myself knowing that fact alone for the rest of my life. I’m just… hideous…” She shuddered and gasped for a breath, the tears that have been welling up within her had left trails of dampened streaks rolling down her cheeks. She placed her hands near her chest and continued. "I’ve always been timid and fragile... It was something I learned to live with. I’m not like you or the others who have strong personalities and the charisma to back it up... And for the most part, I could handle that. That was... until recently. Everywhere I go, everybody stares at me, looking at me and gossiping behind my back like I can’t hear them. One of the girls- Upper Crust, I believe her name was- literally came up to me one day and said that I was a nobody, and that the only friends I had were little stupid animals. She told me I was ugly and a waste of space! That I was better off dead! And I somehow got roped into going outside around a lot of people to parade my hideous and disgusting body." Her voice shaking as she sniffed loudly and wiped the forming tears from her face with the back of her hand. I just watched, looking at her for a moment before going behind her and hugging her, trying to pull her towards me. She was shaking, filled with sadness and anger but I knew she needed someone to talk to. "Fluttershy, you shouldn't think like that. It’s all just pathetic lies from her." She shivered, laying herself towards me and pressing her entire face into my neck. "I know that. I try to keep telling myself that, but it’s so hard. I can't help it. I don't have as thick of skin as you do about that." "Yes, you can." I positioned her to where I could see her as I held her in my arms to comfort her. "Or rather, you don’t let yourself think of how great you are.” She looked away, like I just insulted her or something. I grabbed her chin, continuing, “Fluttershy, look at me. There isn't a single thing wrong with you. If you keep letting these people's negative opinions of you get in the way of seeing how beautiful you truly are, you will be hateful of yourself for the rest of your life." She looked up at me, unsure of what to believe right now. "B-but their opinions have value too. They are saying what they see. If the most of them are saying I look ugly, then I probably am." she said, every word softer than the last until she trailed off. "So a stranger's opinion holds more value than mine?" I asked in return, a mock expression of hurt on my face. Her eyes widen in shock as I asked that. "N-No. I-I didn’t mean it like that," she said quickly, sighing as she did. She’s just too adorable when she’s flustered. It’s almost like she’s come back to her usual, shy self. I wiped the tears off her cheek and smiled. "Good." I replied, gliding my hands down the length of her sides in an attempt to comfort her further. "Because no one is more beautiful than my best friend." Next thing that she did was scoff at me and shift away from me, hiding her blush once again. "You're just saying that." I shook my head at her self-degrading statement that she claimed. "I mean it. You’re smart, beautiful, selfless, caring, strong, and most of all, you are the bravest person that I’ve ever met." I said, moving one of my hands through her hair. She remained silent so I continued, "And, well, I love you. I love you more than any stiff on the street will. That’s because I can see the real you," I said before I heard a scoff and cynical giggle come from her lips. "Liar. You’re just flattering me," she mumbled, giving me a suspicious look. "I do. If I had to choose between you and my dream guy, you would be my choice hands down." "Yeah, they can be hard to find." I had to chuckle at that and I could feel her shaking from the laughter that she was trying to hold back. "You can deny it all you want, but that won’t change the fact that they’re wrong about you." "Yeah… I think I can see that a bit better now," She said, hanging onto my waist in an attempt to keep me down with her for a bit longer. "Now, are you coming?" I asked, giving her a nudge, rewarded with a sigh as a reply. "You won’t let me stay here even if I said no so… I guess we’re going then." she said, letting my arms fall from her. I pulled myself away, holding one of her hands and taking her towards the door. "Um, Rainbow Dash?" "What’s up?" "Is it okay… if I… keep the jacket… with me?" she asked, tugging at her jacket. I replied with a small smile and gave her a nod. "Hey, if it makes you feel better, knock yourself out." She replied with a smile and we kept walking to the door, feeling those small fingers of hers tighten around me. But before we went down the stairs, I added, “But just know, no matter what happens; if anyone is picking on you for who you are, just come to me. I’ll teach them a thing or two about manners. Okay?” She nodded. With that, we walked down the stairs together and Zephie jumped up from where he was sitting, snatching up the bag as he did. “Well, it’s about time! Let’s go, you two!" he yelled while running towards the front door, the bright strings of his swim trunks fluttering behind him as he ran. She gave out a quiet chuckle as we left the house, holding out her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. I looked past my shoulder and held onto her hand before walking out the door of the building. I gave out a slight grunt while holding my hand out to keep the sun from killing my eyes. “Geez… Wanna wait until later when it's not so hot?” I asked her. She shook her head at my suggestion. "No, I don't really want him running around by himself. It could be dangerous… and I do need to build up my confidence anyways." I simply laughed at her comment, and we started walking towards the beach, ready to have some fun.
Prepare YourselfWe started walking on the sand towards the ocean, her hand kept a tight grip on mine. It was beautiful. It was like the scene out of a movie I’d seen once. Finally, we arrived on the shore, and obviously, the place was pretty crowded. The entire ruckus nearly flabbergasted her as we move off the final hill to relax on the beach. The sight of the sea of people that were there was disheartening to the point where I couldn't see any sand as it was being covered by the everyone. A whimper was heard behind me and a light squeeze on my hand let me know the origin of it. "You alright?" I asked her. She gave me a small nod in return. I looked towards the multiple crowds of people and looked right back at her. “Why don’t we find a place that’s less packed?” "S-Sure," she stuttered, allowing me to search for a less condensed and popular part of the beach for us. We kept moving and to help her with her current dilemma, I decided to talk to her to ease her state of mind. "Hey, tell me about the animal shelter. How are things with the animals?" I could practically hear the enthusiasm in her voice as she began to speak about one of her more favored topics of discussion, "The animal shelter? O-Oh, okay! Well… we often give out reports and background checks on the animals. We give them vaccinations on a timely schedule. We feed them. We even give them…" I knew how she got and was able to somewhat tune her out while we walked, still asking questions here and there to show her that I was paying attention and that I cared. The tension she held earlier had vanished as she continued to talk; if there was anything that she enjoyed the most, it was sharing her vast, infinite knowledge on animals with someone who would be willing to talk to her about. Eventually, we found ourselves at the bottom of one of the many cliffsides that were surrounding the town and since there weren’t many people around, we decided that this was a good spot. She took a seat on the sand, leaning herself on my arms while stretching her legs out. I sat down next to her, crossing my legs. It was nice and peaceful for a moment before I remembered something. "Great. Zephie has all of our stuff. I gave it to him when I came to talk to you," I said as I stared out at the ocean. "He does?" "Want me to go get it?" I continued, glancing at her. She looked at me, her eyes wide. "Oh, no. You don’t need to go back to that terrible crowd to search for him. We'll be fine without it, I'm sure." As she sighed, she closed her eyes, enjoying the bliss of the sun touching her skin. I took off my shirt and place it next to me and laid back in the hot sand. We sat in silence for a moment, waiting for something to happen. It was peaceful and calm… that was, until I heard her moan cut the silence in half, watching her dig her fingertips into the sun heated sand. "Geez, it’s hot out… and the sun… it…” "Hmm?" "It hurts," she replied with a silent chuckle. I chuckled and looked at her, my eyes looking over her exposed skin. I couldn't see what her inner conflict was about; she looked perfectly fine to me. She’s not really big on the front, but it wasn’t terrible. She was gorgeous, and besides, there was nothing wrong with being average. What’s wrong with being normal anyways? Being normal was great since you are still pretty and hey, it just makes it easier for that one lucky guy to carry you and hold you tightly. It makes it even easier for that lucky guy to press you up against a wall and start some more… heated activities. I accidentally bit my tongue as my mind went wild, along with a small smile building on my lips. Like a spider with hyper senses, she opened up her eyes and looked right at me, giving a slight jump. "R-Rainbow Dash, no!" she shouted, pulling at the sides, desperate to cover herself up. I looked directly at her with my eyebrows raised. "What?" "You gave me that look. Yo- you were- you- you were looking at me and- a-and- and-. Please don’t stare at me," she exclaimed, turning her head away from me, completely blushing. I smiled coyly at her blushing expression and hummed lightly before sliding my arm over and wrapping it around her waist "But I like staring." I whispered teasingly, moving my lips towards her quivering jaw. She quickly shied away and resisted my advances by pushing against my stomach and squirming away. "N-No, Rainbow Dash, there are people out here!" she cried out, trying in vain to block off my advances. I just smiled and moved ever so listlessly, eventually catching her off guard with my lips and pulling her closer to me. She lightly shoved against me, weakly trying to fight me off before throwing in the towel, moving her hands up from my stomach to my shoulders and neck. I felt her tongue swirl around and around in my mouth, in the motion of a merry-go-round at an amusement park that will never cease. It nearly took my breath away as she started kissing every little inch of my body without stopping. After several seconds, we pulled apart, panting as I watched her catch her breath. She pressed herself forward a little; forcing her own forehead against mine and gave me a smile as I unzipped her jacket. "Gotta say, talking is fun and all, but," I whispered gently, moving myself even closer to her. "I like using my mouth for this a lot better." She said nothing as I pushed my lips against hers, being a little more rougher with her than last time. She started to moan even louder, curling her fingers up and scratching them across my skin with her fingernails. Suddenly, she was on her back, holding herself up with her forearms. She all of a sudden arched her back as her eyes almost bulged out of her head. "Ouch! Ouch! Hot sand, hot sand!" She tried to say through our pushed lips. I felt her smile in our embrace, and we rolled over with her laying on top of me. She sat up, frowning down at me as I stared back up at her. "You know that we’re on a public beach right? What if someone sees us?" I just shrug, slyly moving my hands from her waist down to her thighs, slowly running my hands all over her skin and swimsuit. "I don’t see a sign that says we can’t have a little fun." She replied with a scoff and lowered herself on me again as she smiled. "You are insatiable," she responded ever so softly before slowly pressing her lips towards mine, moaning sensually while my hands travelled around to her butt. I could hardly hold back the urge to grope her as my fingers began to move up to her breast, massage her all over with handfuls of her beautiful skin. She started to whimper louder as I arched my back when she pressed all of herself against me. As my hands were about to untie the top of her bathing suit, I could hear every moan escape from her body, clinging onto me more and more. I continued to kiss about every square inch of her, getting closer and closer every second as I was about to- "Ewwwww…" She pulled her lips away from mine, looking up to see Zephy standing several feet in front of us, making a very rosy face. She quickly tied her top and put on my shirt, hiding behind me as I adjusted myself. "If the two of you were gonna have some ‘fun’ with each other…” he said with an over-exaggerated hand motion, "You could've at least left a sign up." I rolled my eyes at him and got up in a huff, completely slouching and leaning my head in his direction. "Is something wrong, Zip?" she asked, covering her face with the blush that was growing on her face. He gave me the same look that I gave him when he arrived. Guess he didn’t know after all. "Oh, it’s nothing,” he replied with an annoyed shrug, lowering the bag down from one hand to another as he moved to our spot. "I was hanging out with a few of my friends when I noticed that you two suddenly disappeared, so I went looking for you... and here I am. If I interrupted you two and you need some alone time together-" "Zip," she squeaked, her voice getting higher and her face growing redder as she cut him off. "I-I was just telling Dash that-that she shouldn't be doing that in a public area in the first place. It wasn't a good idea.” I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at that. He rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, because that's defiantly what it looked like from over there…” I rolled my eyes back at him as he set the towel down. He looked right at me and added, “Anyway, it’s a good thing that I came down here. You were really cooking,” he said, scrounging around the giant bag through all the other accessories before finding the small bottle of sunscreen for her. He tossed it towards us and I caught it straight out of the air, making Fluttershy sit up as she started to scoot down a little, pressing her little fingers on her cheek before hissing softly. Quietly, I popped up the cap on the bottle and squirted a small bit of the pale, white goo into my hand, slowly and gently rubbing and smearing it on her face and ears before moving down. "So tell me, why did you choose to be right here? I mean, if you two were planning on having ‘quality time’ with each other, I can see why you would choose this type of place… but still." I could feel her tense up as he sighed, continuing to speak while I continued to apply the sunscreen to her back and neck. "We just wanted some quiet time with one another, that’s all." Afterwards, she started to relaxing a bit and slowly gave him a knowing smile. "Sure… the noise was the problem..." he responded as he plopped right down next to us. "Well, you’re gonna be disturbed by me all day. So what do you girls wanna do now?" We looked at him and then to each other, smiling. We couldn’t care less that he interrupted us. We were just happy to be with each other. It was all that mattered to us. We got into the water and played with each other for a bit. Eventually, I went underwater and had some fun. "Ah! Rainbow Dash, no!" She yelled in shock as I appeared out of the water below her, positioning her onto my shoulders so she could stay on there fairly easily. I gave a small laugh while she was above me, yelling and flailing her arms, doing her best not to fall off. Zephyr laughed loudly, as he spun a beach ball on his finger, waiting to launch it towards us. "Hey, Fluttershy!" he called out, gaining her attention as he carried the ball on his head. "Catch!" He threw the ball right into the air, sending it flying into our path. "Oh, I got it! I got it!" she shouted, firing her arms straight up and leaning back with the ball as it flew over her head. He burst out laughing again as she fell backwards, dragging me into the salty water with her. She had to prop herself up and wipe the salty water from her eyes as she rose, holding the ball triumphantly above her head. I rose back up, removing my goggles and slightly shaking the water off of them before putting them back on. As usual, she apologized for the actions of her brother and shot him that familiar fiery scolding look that at this point had no effect on him since he was still giggling and snickering like an idiot. "It's fine," I said, looking over to her. She smiled back at me, holding onto the multicolored, rubber beach ball in while doing so. Her shirt completely soaked, clinging ever so slightly to her frail, but beautiful body. I saw her float along with the tide, joined by her wet, pink hair clinging on to her forehead. She was breathing excessively from everything that happened today, but she still held onto that smile of hers. I was happy. She was actually smiling. Those bad feelings and tears from earlier today were washed away with the tide of the ocean and she was able to break out of her shell for a few hours and be happy. Zippy gave out an exaggerated sigh as he removed his goggles, putting them back into the bag while we gazed at the sunset. He frowned, turning back to us. "Hey," he called out, getting Fluttershy's attention. "It's getting late now, you girls want to stay out, or should we head back home?" We looked at each other, he asked me a question but I simply shrugged back as an answer. She nodded and turned to him, shrugging. "Yeah, I guess it’s getting late,” she mumbled. He nodded and we made our way back to the warm sand of the beach, our bodies shivering and teeth clattering from being in the water for so long and being used to its temperature. I looked to her, and she held out her hand to me. She gave me that beautiful smile, blushing slightly as she tucked away the beach ball under an arm. I grabbed her hand as we walked away. Once we reached our bag, Fluttershy deflated the ball and I began to dry off. Once we were dried and the ball was deflated, I held the bag open and she placed it in delicately. As the sun dipped further into the horizon and baked our backs less and less, we made our way back to their house, our hands intertwined. The peaceful silence was broken by Fluttershy as she cleared her throat glancing up me. "I, um, thank you." I looked down at her and I saw her face was completely flushed from the entire day. She looked like she had something to say. "I-I appreciate you getting me out of the house. I wouldn’t have left if you hadn’t talked me out of it… and I really had a good time with you and Zeph today, so… thank you for helping me." I replied to her with a nod. A few seconds had passed before any words were exchanged. I spoke up and said, "I meant what I said." "Hmm? Oh, yes. I believe you. It’s just… that…” I put my finger on her lips, preventing her from speaking any further. "Don’t sweat it.” I said as I pressed a kiss on the top of her forehead. “Besides, you know I love you and I would do anything to keep you happy.” She returned that same, sweet smile as she leaned herself onto my shoulder. "I know you would. That's why I love you too." We walked back to her house with Zeph, completely tired from today. It was a special day today. Getting to spend time with her. I really wish that could last forever…
A Chance EncounterSeveral weeks had passed since our trip, and she definitely seems to be feeling much better. It put me at ease to see her like she is now. She was really scared, that poor thing. I’m gonna do what I can to make her feel better. It’s the least I can for her after embarrassing her those times before. I heard my phone go off, and saw that it was a text. It was Fluttershy, and she asked if I wanted to hang out with her at the Coffee shop. With nothing better to do and being completely bored out of my mind, I decided to head over to said shop to help calm her nerves. We went inside the cafe. The place had a small crowd inside, being a busy time and all. The line was long, but it went pretty fast. I told Fluttershy to go find us a seat while I waited in line for our refreshments. Fluttershy sat silently at the end of the bar up against the wall, reading as she sipped her drink, doing what she could to ignore the noisy crowd while I kept going further down the line for our beverages. "That will be two dollars and fifty-five cents ma’am." "Right, of course," A girl said as she raised her purse. She turned around and it was then when I recognized who she was. It was the same girl who picked on Fluttershy a few weeks back. She was grabbing the amount the cashier requested and it was at that moment an idea came in. I thought about the things that she did to Fluttershy, so I decided that it was time to even up the score. I waited for her to mingle around in her purse while she wasn’t looking. I smiled and stepped in front of her, cutting in line. “I’ll get it for you,” I said as I got in front of her. She seemed surprised by my sudden course of action. Totally out of left field as far as she could tell. I handed the cashier the two dollars and change as I grabbed the cup of tea. “Thanks. To be honest, I was like, really reluctant to get it but like, you totally save me the trouble of having to spend any money whatsoever.” That smug look she displayed on her face just made me wanna puke. She seemed like she was on top of the world with her attitude. I placed my hand out and said, “The names Rainbow Dash. Five-time MVP, Captain of the sports team, and reigning champion of the athletic decathlon. To make a long story short, I’m pretty popular at school.” She seemed really stunned at first. It was like she just a heart attack after hearing my achievements. Then she regained her composure and replied, “Oh. Well my name is Upper Crust. I haven’t been here in like, forever now. I just got out of my house after having an argument about my credit card and getting it confiscated from me. You see, I…” She kept droning on and on about how ‘hard’ her life is and what her friends are doing without her. I look at the hot tea that I was holding and then looked back up at her with a smirk. I decided to put the hot tea down on the table, but I didn’t move my hand from it. "Here you go." I said, closely watching her hand to reach the cup. At the flick of a wrist, I spilled the heated liquid onto her once spotted dress. She screamed, jerking away from the table and looking down to her soaked dress. A furious look appeared on her face and she opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off before she could say anything to me, smacking both my hands onto the wooden table and leaning closer towards her, almost touching noses at that point. "Listen, because I’m only gonna tell this to you once,” I said in a nearly low voice. “If you ever come near my girlfriend again and treat her like dog shit… I will make it my life's mission to make your’s a living hell for the rest of your life. Got it?" Suddenly, she gasped, unable to say a word or express herself in any way as an angry blush began to cover her cheeks. I simply continued to stare at her. "Now get out… or maybe you’d like some more? My treat~." I asked in a low voice, watching as a now very shocked looking girl quickly grabbed her friend and guided a still shocked girl and walked out of the coffee shop. I watched her and her friend leave the shop, loosening up once the pair had left my sight. I sighed, releasing some tension as I grabbed the cup and plate and placed them onto our table. Drips could still be heard which reminded me that I needed to clean up the mess. I grabbed a few napkins and cleaned the table up. After I cleaned up, I glanced over to where Fluttershy was sitting. When I walked over to her and sat down, she stared at me with a look she doesn't give too often. "My only regret..." I stated evenly. "is that I have only one cup of tea to pour." “Rainbow Dash…” She began but dropped her frown when she saw my smile. She sighed and shook her head, unsure how to respond. “Thanks… but,” She flicked my head, scolding me about how I caused a scene in front of everyone. “You didn’t have to go through all this trouble. What if you got in trouble?” I gave her a sigh as I sipped my espresso. It really was happening all over again. I had that coming but regardless, I was in no position to complain. “I know, I know, and I’m sorry, but you know I couldn’t let her get away with what she did. After all,” I pulled her in with a peek on her head and added, “You're my special butterfly. And nobody can convince me that you're anything but.” She giggled behind her hand and couldn't stop her cute little smile from spreading across her face when I said that. She shook her head again but out of both embarrassment and joy rather than disappointment. I could tell she knew that in a way, I wasn’t completely wrong. Something had to be done about her dilemma. She just wished that I was more subtle about it. “I know but…” She paused, not knowing what to say next. I gave her a smile, accompanied by a quiet chuckle, feeling that she was entirely grateful for what I did. She silently thanked me and as I held her close. we walked out the store, happier than we’ve ever been.
